Fullmetal Alchemist: Struggle Beyond the Gate
by ellie-withpeninhand
Summary: Ed and Al have been wandering in the world on the other side of the gate for three years now. Life without alchemy is harder than expected… but does it have to be this way forever?
1. Distant Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or its characters, nor do I own or claim to own the FMA movie. I am just a fan. My ideas are original. If I use another show's ideas or themes, I will list them at the bottom of the chapter. However, I do not intentionally base my work on the work of others.

Author's note: Just a few facts to get you into the story. First, this story takes place three years after the movie, so five years after the anime series. Therefore, the year is 1925, and Ed is 20, and Al is 19.

**Chapter 1: Distant Memories**

There he was again, in that dark circular room. It smelled like gunpowder from where he was standing. He was staring up helplessly at a huge dragon with a figure in its mouth. He hated being helpless. He couldn't do anything – he would be dead if he took one wrong step. He had no idea how many weapons were being pointed at him.

He had literally fallen right into their trap. They needed him to open the gate from this side. So for now he could stall… but for how long?

_Damn it. If only I could use alchemy…_

He hated this world for taking alchemy away from him. It was his life. He felt less human without it. Now he was just a guy with a metal arm and leg. Fullmetal meant nothing over here. In a strange way, he wanted the gate to open.

_But not like this. _

He didn't want his friends and the only family he had left – Winry and Al – to be put in harms way.

"Father!" He gasped. _Father_? _I haven't called him that for years._ For as long as he could remember he hated his guts. The thought of him made his blood boil.

He used to have happy memories of him though, but that was a long time ago – back when things were good. Now… now things were different. He knew his 'Father' didn't make choices for him, but in a way he blamed everything that happened to him and Al on Hohenheim.

"What is this? What the hell is this!"

He listened to Hohenheim, but he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

_He did this for me? So I could get back to the other side? _

For a fleeting moment, his heart skipped a beat.

Maybe he did really love us…maybe I'll really get to go back… 

In his heart, he wanted to get back there. But his mind harboured the reality that it should be impossible. In a world where alchemy doesn't exist anymore, how could he even get to the gate, let alone cross it?

But these crazy fanatics were telling him a way. He didn't want to believe it… but he had to. After all, he had seen Al's soul again. It had to be true. He witnessed it work once. Why not again?

_Snap out of it, you idiot! Do something. _

It was too late though. Blood was already surging out of the dragon's mouth and the alchemy circle began to glow. Everything had slowed down now. He could hear voices, but they were muffled by the sound of his heart beating his ears.

Lub-dub Not like this… Lub-dub 

A gunshot went off.

Lub-dub 

He fell off the platform somehow. _Lub-dub_. The air was rushing through his hair. _Lub-dub_. He was nearing the hard stone floor. _Lub-dub_. And then… _Lub-dub_... blackness surrounded him…

Edward woke up. He hated that dream. After that day initially happened, Ed dreamed about it for months. He had gone nearly three years without having it again. Why did he have to have it now?

He rolled over in his bed and threw the sheets off. He was hot. His heart was beating hard in his ears.

_Damn it – go back to sleep. _

But he couldn't. His heart was keeping him awake.

_Lub-dub_.

_Lub-dub_.

_Lub-dub_.

Al was sleeping soundly in a bed across the room. Suddenly he felt better after hearing his shallow breaths.

_Lub-dub_.

_At least we have each other. _

_Lub-dub_.

Ed closed his eyes. _Lub-dub_. He began drawing an alchemy circle in his mind. He knew it was pointless to imagine alchemy, but it was one of the few things that could put him to sleep quickly.

_Lub-dub_.

He thought of a new one this time.

_Lub-dub_.

An octagon with a star inside.

_Lub-dub_.

If only I could use it… 

_Lub-dub_.

_Lub-dub_.

_Lub-dub_.

Well, that was my first go ever at a fanfic. I love reading them, and since I enjoyed FMA so much, I decided to try writing a fic about it. This has the potential of being really long… so I don't want to continue unless I get some (positive) feedback as to whether or not I should bother writing more. Let me know in the review section! Thanks for reading!


	2. Reluctant Partings

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or its characters, nor do I own or claim to own the FMA movie. I am just a fan. My ideas are original. If I use another show's ideas or themes, I will list them at the bottom of the chapter. However, I do not intentionally base my work on the work of others.

Author's note: Just a few facts to get you into the story. First, this story takes place three years after the movie, so five years after the anime series. Therefore, the year is 1925, and Ed is 20, and Al is 19.

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**Chapter 2: Reluctant Partings**

_Good – it's still dark out. I get to sleep more. _

Al had woken up. The one thing that he loved the most of all since getting his body back five years ago was the ability to sleep. For years before that he could only rest his mind. He never felt human because of that. Now, however, he could sleep forever – and for that he could never thank his brother enough for returning him to his body.

Tonight Al was particularly tired – the two brothers had travelled all the way from London to the United States by steamer. They had landed on shore the previous night. Neither of them could sleep well on the boat – it kept swaying back and forth for days.

As soon as they landed, Edward wanted to trudge on. They took their small bags and kept walking for the whole day until they got to New York. Al followed obediently, never complaining once. He had hoped they could have at least gotten a few hours sleep before heading to New York, but he knew finding the uranium bomb was more important.

Al remembered that during their earlier travels years before, Ed would travel for days without sleep. It wouldn't bother Al though because he never felt anything back then – a soul never gets tired, hungry, or thirsty.

Al turned his head and already started to drift off to sleep. However, just before he fell asleep, he heard Ed mumbling something in his sleep.

"What… not like this…"

_He must be having that dream again. _

Ed had told Al about that day a long time ago, and that he'd dreamt about it a few times afterwards. Ed explained how he refused to open the gate for the Thule organization only because they were planning to do evil things with it, not because he didn't want to get back to the other side. It made Al feel a little guiltier for opening the gate from his side. He never told Ed how he felt, though. At that time, all Al wanted was his brother back – he was the only family he had left. He didn't think twice when Wrath told him to open the gate. However, when Al saw the hell that he helped unleash, he felt horrible. The only comfort he had about that day was the knowledge that he and his brother were together again.

Al didn't miss alchemy that much. Ed told him that he didn't care either, but every now and again Al would catch him staring distantly at his metal arm. That hurt Al the most – knowing that he couldn't do anything to help his brother get his normal arm and leg back. In this world – with no alchemy – it would be impossible. Not to mention the gates were destroyed.

_I'm sorry I didn't fulfill my promise to you, brother. Don't hate me…_

Ed had woken up. Al could hear him tossing around in his bed and cursing under his breath.

_I'm sorry, brother. _

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The next time Al woke up, it was to the sound of chirping birds. The ticking clock on the wall said it was 8:30. Al flew out of bed so fast that he got tangled up in the sheets and fell forward. He stood up quickly, throwing the sheets back on the bed.

"8:45? Oh no! Brother will be angry – we were supposed to be gone by 8:00."

Sure enough, Ed's bed was neatly made, and his things were neatly packed in his bag.

_Well, at least his things are still here. He didn't leave yet. _

Al knew Ed would never leave him for good. However, there was one time where he got a 'head start'. Al had to run all morning to catch up with Ed. Al never got angry though – he understood his brother. There were times when he meant business. After that day, Al made sure not to be late again. He knew Ed would have done that to get his point across. It was just until they found this uranium bomb, though. After that, Ed said the two of them could sleep in all day every day.

Ed could hear movement in the adjoining room. He stopped eating for a moment to confirm the sounds were indeed Al.

_Ah, he's up. Good. We can get going shortly._

Ed had thought about waking up his little brother, but he knew that he had pushed Al really hard the last few days. All the while, Al never complained once.

_There's no harm in hitting the road a little late. Besides, we'll be more productive._

The extra time in the morning gave Ed the chance to buy a full meal for the two of them.

When Al stumbled into the room, hopping on one foot trying to shove his boot on, Ed smiled a little inside. He still hadn't gotten over the joy of seeing Al inside his old body.

"I'm sorry! I – I didn't mean to sleep so long, brother!"

"Relax, Al. Worrying so much will give you a headache. I thought we could do with a decent sleep for once. Besides, I got food."

Ed resumed shoving food into his mouth, coming up periodically for air and for water.

_This is MUCH better than that crap they tried to feed us on that ship! _thought Ed.

Al sat quietly and took a few bites of food. Ed was watching him over the rim of his bowl. For some reason he felt like Al wanted to say something.

"Br-brother?" he eventually said timidly

Ed glanced up over his bowl. "Yeah?"

"Well… I was thinking." _Should I even bring this up? He seems to be in a good mood… _"Well, it's just that maybe we should go the church and light a candle for… you know… Noa."

Ed stopped eating and put his bowl down. Not so much for what Al had said, but because his bowl was empty. He flinched a little at the sound of her name. He started into the empty bowl. He stood up, letting the chair scrape across the floor, and crossed the room and grabbed the morning's paper.

"You should eat the rest of that. We probably won't be stopping again until dinner tonight, and I don't want you to be hungry." His voice was quiet.

With that, Ed left the kitchen.

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_Berlin, January 1923. (Two years earlier) _

Ed was standing in front of a small house. He figured there must have been four or five people living inside from the amount of laundry that was hanging on the clothes' line. Some of it he recognized to be hers.

_Damn… I hope she doesn't hate us for ignoring her like this._

He and Al had been busy rummaging through the libraries of Berlin for the past three and a half months. They weren't intentionally ignoring her. Obviously. They were just busy finding out what they could about uranium bombs. Ed and Al were trying to find the uranium bomb that Masuyo had created back in their world, five years ago. Ed figured that by now there must be at least a few books about his work.

The two of them were leaving for London tomorrow night. They were getting nowhere in Berlin, and had heard whispers of a 'new technology' that was emerging in London.

_Damn it… why do I always do this?_

Ed was referring to the countless times he left the people he supposedly cared about.

_Winry… Rose… and now you. I'm sorry. _

It was hard for Ed to explain his feelings towards her. When he first laid eyes on the girl, he felt like he was 'home' when he was with her. That's the only reason he risked his life taking on three armed guards to help her escape. Later, he realized that he only felt that way because she looked like someone from his past.

Suddenly, the door of the house opened.

"What are you doing out there? You'll freeze! Come in, Edward."

"Oh…! Thank you." Edward smiled and quickly stepped into the house. He just realized that he was in fact a little cold.

"I'm sorry to be a bother, Madam, but I was wondering if I could speak with Noa? Is she out at the moment? I can wait for her."

The old woman smiled weakly.

"Yes Edward, she is in. Its just that… well, ever since you and your brother left her in our care, she took a turn for the worse."

Ed felt his stomach jump. _What? that can't be… she was perfectly healthy when we left… _

"No Edward, physically Noa is fine." It was as if the old woman knew what he was thinking. "Its just… well, it's best you see her for yourself. She has been wishing to speak with you for some time, now."

The old woman silently led Ed through a candle-lit hallway to a small room. She knocked twice on the door. Despite not hearing a reply from inside, she turned the knob and let Ed step inside the room.

Edward had to allow his eyes to focus to the bright light that filled the small room. The room was cluttered with books, papers, and images of… _No, _thought Ed_ that can't be. There's nothing here about that stuff. _

Suddenly he was aware of someone standing behind him. He turned his head, and saw it was Noa. Ed took a small step back when he realized how close she was standing to his face.

"N-Noa", said Ed, blushing slightly. He cleared his throat. He was taken aback at how much unlike herself she looked. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, and her eyes were lifeless and tired.

"Oh Ed – I thought you never would have come! I thought you had left me here… Ha ha ha – but how foolish of me. Of course you didn't leave me! You came back for me!"

Noa was almost singing her words. Ed was worried… _is this what the old woman meant – about Noa taking a turn for the worse._

"You see, Edward – I have been hard at work trying to build you another gate." She moved over to a pile of books that was lying in the middle of the floor and pushed them aside. Underneath, Edward realized what was drawn on the floorboards – it was the same alchemy circle that he used to open the gate.

"Noa – what is this? Why…?

"Oh Edward – you're so stupid". Noa's voice suddenly turned hard. "Don't play games with me. I don't like them. Don't you see? Ever since you left me here, I've been working hard to make another gate to your world. I mean, why else did you come back?"

"Noa – please. You don't understand. The gates have been destroyed. You saw me do it myself – remember?"

"No Ed. I can't believe that. You loved that world. I saw how much you smiled when you spoke to me about it. Remember, Ed? It was a place for me – my own world. You came back for me. You came back to take me to that place."

Suddenly Ed's mind flashed back to that day when he reappeared from the ship, back on this side of the gate. He remembered how vacant Noa's stare was at him. He had just thought that she was shocked to see him back. He had no idea that she thought he'd take her back with him…

"I've been studying hard, too Edward. I remember everything from that day. I that man get sacrificed – so the only thing I need to complete this gate is a human sacrifice. After that…"

"Noa – listen to me!" Ed was stern now. He couldn't be gentle in this matter anymore. "You have no idea what you're talking about. This world doesn't have alchemy. It doesn't work here. You can't open a gate here with human blood. The only reason the gate even opened the first time was because the man you saw sacrificed wasn't… normal. He was from the other side of the gate… he was… he wasn't a normal human. It's hard for me to explain. Just please trust me!"

"Noa, he wasn't human. The gate won't just open with any blood. You can't do this. Not even I can do this!"

"Please Edward". Tears were streaming down her face. "Please – I hate this place. I need to be somewhere where I am safe and truly free. The war is over for now… but for how long?"

Suddenly, without thinking Edward suddenly said "You can come with Al and I. That's the reason I came over here in the first place. We wanted to take you with us to London. Did you hear that, Noa – London! A whole new city, and a whole new country. You wanted your own place, right?"

Ed didn't know what Noa's reaction would be.

Between sniffles, Noa agreed to go along with them.

Ed silently sighed a sigh of relief. "Well come by to pick you up at 9:00 in the morning. Pack light."

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The next morning, Ed and Al knocked on the door of Noas house. The old woman greeted them again. This time, she looked even grimmer than she did the previous night.

Edward sensed something was wrong.

_Damn it, Noa. Why must you be obsessed with this thing?_

Ed flung himself past the woman and hurried towards Noas room door. What he found, though, was not what he expected to find. There, on the floor, in the middle of alchemy circle, lay a man, a large serpent, and Noa, all dead. Blood was everywhere. It didn't take long for Ed to realize what had happened. Noa assumed that she could recreate Envy using a large snake, and the man was used as a substitute for Hohenheim. Both the serpent and the man were slit at the neck.

Edward fell to his knees.

_When she realized her work didn't open the gate, she killed herself. _

Just then, Al had run up behind Edward and let out a small gasp.

"She wanted it so badly… I had no idea. I shouldn't have left her" Ed whispered.

_She did everything she could to find happiness. _Thought Alphonse. _Brother and I would have done nearly anything to get our bodies back. I suppose she's not much different us._

The two brothers delayed their trip to London. Instead, they went to a nearby church. Neither one of them believed in this world's God, but they knew Noa did. All they could do now for her was light a candle.

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Ok then - I didn't expect to add another chapter too soon, but I got an idea. I still don't know if I like how I ended Noa's life... Hmm... I'm just picky. Believe it or not, I wrote four other possibilities. But I hated the others. I just didn't want this chapter to go on for ages. I also didn't want to make it seem like an afterthought. I definitley wanted her suicide to seem plausible from where she was left off in the movie. Well, PLEASE let me know if you liked this chapter... I might (might is emphasized here) change this chapter (Noa's part) if I get a better idea later. However, I'm pleased with how it is now. Thanks for now for the reviews, though. I'm glad some poeple are liking it!


	3. The Calm

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or its characters, nor do I own or claim to own the FMA movie. I am just a fan. My ideas are original. If I use another show's ideas or themes, I will list them at the bottom of the chapter. However, I do not intentionally base my work on the work of others.

Author's note: Just a few facts to get you into the story. First, this story takes place three years after the movie, so five years after the anime series. Therefore, the year is 1925, and Ed is 20, and Al is 19.

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**Chapter 3: The Calm **

Ed was sitting on his bed resting against the headboard. He was flipping through the newspaper, but he wasn't taking anything in. He was afraid to think about anything. He didn't want to think about her.

Edward had always felt guilty about Noa's death. He always thought that if he spent more time with her.

_How hard would it have been to visit her once or twice a week? I just assumed she was fine. Why would she have been? She really believed she could have been happy in our world…_

He laid the paper on his lap, closed his eyes, and leaned back.

_Noa… I only hope you've finally found happiness. _

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"Real smart, Al. Why did you have to bring it up? He was in a good mood." Al was clearing the table and muttering to himself under his breath.

_Maybe that's why Brother had his dream again? He was thinking about Rose and the gate subconsciously. _

Ed hadn't told Al all of the happenings of that fateful October day. He never mentioned their father's presence, nor did he tell him of Rose's involvement. He only told Al that Rose wanted to cross over, and that she was kidnapped to lure Ed to the Thule organization. As usual, Ed wanted to protect his brother from the harsh reality. As far as Al knew, Dante killed their father many years earlier.

_Well, I'd better go in and talk to him. _

Al opened the bedroom door a crack, and whispered in, "Brother? I- I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have…"

From inside he heard Ed's voice, and it was happy. "Don't be silly, Al! I knew what today was, and I'm not upset at you. You don't need to apologize!"

Al opened the door fully, and smiled at his brother.

"What do you say we just take a break from the libraries? We can start tomorrow. Besides, we need to get more acquainted with this city. The United States is very different from Europe."

"Really!" Al was excited. As much as he loved exploring and researching with his brother, he wanted a day off to spend doing nothing of importance.

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After their full day of nothing, the two brothers sat down for dinner at a restaurant. The food in New York was quite different than what they had grown familiar with in London. However, Edward and Alphonse didn't have a hard time eating it – they never had a hard time finishing off what was put in front of them.

Alphonse was just as hungry as his brother, but he was able to restrain himself from shovelling food into his face with both hands. His brother, on the hand, was a different matter. Edward had two forks, one in each hand, from which he was taking successive bites from between breaths. Al noticed a few of the waiters staring in amazement at him.

"I've never seen anyone eat so much before!" one of the waiters exclaimed.

Finally, Edward had eaten enough. He leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily. "Oh man, that was good." Ed's stomach began to make sounds of contentment. "Oops. Heh heh heh."

Al just smiled.

Edward thought about telling Al about his dream last night, but he didn't want to ruin the moment. _Good food shouldn't be ruined with such serious conversation _he thought to himself.

In the distance, he could hear birds calling to each other.

"So brother, what should we do next?" Al asked Ed.

The sun was starting to go down. The winter months didn't allow for much daylight.

"Well, I was thinking…" Just then, Al felt a sharp pain in his right arm. It shot up his shoulder and made him stop mid-sentence. He tried his best not to grimace – he didn't want to alarm Al.

"Brother? What is it? Are you alright? I told you to eat slower…" Al could tell that something was hurting his brother – he had grimaced slightly.

"I'm fine. I guess that chicken isn't agreeing with me." Ed looked up quickly to make sure his brother bought his lie. His shoulder kept throbbing with the pain. Ed quickly stood up. "I'm just going to splash some water on my face in the bathroom. Here," he threw a bag of money on the table, "pay the waiter, and I'll meet you out front."

Al took the money and waited for the server to come back. Meanwhile, Ed tried his best to stand up and keep from doubling over in pain. He needed to get to the bathroom fast. He wanted to check out his arm.

_Maybe something got loose? But how? I haven't needed to use it for anything_.

That thought made Ed feel worse. For the past three years, all of their studying and researching hadn't gotten them any closer to finding that uranium bomb. Not to mention they couldn't perform alchemy anymore.

When Ed got to the back of the restaurant, he realized there were many doors, but none of them said 'Mens'.

_Damn it… I'll just try this one. _

Clutching his right shoulder, Ed pushed through the heavy door. He found himself in the back alley of the restaurant. There was a single light flickering above him. Other than that, he couldn't see very much else beyond what the light illuminated.

"Ah, good enough" he muttered. He let the door close shut. He didn't even care if he had been locked out. Right now, the only thing he wanted to do was stop the pain. Although the pain was nowhere near the pain of attaching his arm, it was still quite agonizing.

Ed tore off the skin-like glove he wore from the wrist, and he opened and closed his hand. He inspected his arm, and noticed that the pain had begun to subside. He let his arm drop to his side, and let out a sigh of relief.

_I can't let anything happen to this arm. It's the last thing I have from where I come from… other than Al, of course… and Winry. _At the same time, Ed knew it was the last thing that reminded him of his mistakes.

Just then, some muffled voices and hurried footsteps broke the silence. Ed looked in vain into the dark path to his right, from where the noises were coming from.

And then, suddenly – without warning – a figure lunged at him.

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Please R/R! I hope you enjoyed it so far. I need to know if this story is worth continuing! I have a lot of stuff coming up – like the beginning of school and stuff – so I don't know how much I'll be able to write in the near future. Let me know what you think. I'm sorry to leave it hanging like this, but I thought it would be better like this.


	4. Flight

**Disclaimer**: I do not own FMA or its characters, nor do I own or claim to own the FMA series, manga, or movie. I am just a fan.

**Author's note**: Just a few facts to get you into the story. First, this story takes place three years after the movie, so five years after the anime series. Therefore, the year is 1925, and Ed is 20, and Al is 19.

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**Chapter 4: Flight**

_Keep moving. Keep moving. Don't stop. _

The girl was running with every once of strength she had left in her body. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and her breathing was ragged and laboured. Her legs were pumping so hard she didn't even notice the pain they were in. The world around her was a blur as it hurtled through the pathway already set out for her. There was only one thing on her mind: _get to him!_

_Oh fuck… where am I? Right or left… right! _

In the distance, she could see a single light flickering in the distance.

_Yes! This is it. _

Ahead she could see a doorway opening and a figure stepped out. The voices behind her seemed to be getting closer.

She wanted to hazard a glance back, but she didn't want to take her eyes off of where she was going. _One wrong move… and that's it._

As she neared the figure she saw the glint of cold hard steel at his side.

_Oh damn it! They've already got someone here… and he's waiting for me… This can't be happening. Is it really going to end like this?_

She tried to stop, but her foot caught an uneven cobblestone and she began to stumble forward. She was moving too fast to stop before colliding.

She closed her eyes and braced herself for the blades to pierce her flesh.

Her mind went blank.

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Whoa. That was short… I can't leave this story alone! I myself don't know where it's going from here. Please tell me what you think so far! Thanks guys!


	5. The Dark One

**Disclaimer**: I do not own FMA or its characters, nor do I own or claim to own the FMA series, manga, or movie. I am just a fan.

**Author's note**: Just a few facts to get you into the story. First, this story takes place three years after the movie, so five years after the anime series. Therefore, the year is 1925, and Ed is 20, and Al is 19.

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**Chapter 5: The Dark One**

Edward turned quickly. He shielded his chest with his right arm and braced himself the best he could for the sudden impact.

_And me without a weapon… _he thought to himself.

The two of them collided with such force that they stumbled backward. Edward had to take a few steps to stay on his feet. The other person, however, fell backwards. Ed steadied himself and prepared for another attack.

To his surprise, his 'attacker' was gasping for breath on the ground. It sounded to him like a _no… it couldn't be… a woman! _

The woman dragged herself for a few feet with her hands, and then finally managed to get onto all fours. She was still breathing heavily.

_Voices… that means there's more coming. _Ed quickly turned his attention to the dark alley from where the woman came from. He squinted in vain, hoping to make out a figure.

He noticed the woman was clutching her side as she struggled to stand. She took a few shaky steps forward, and then leant against the brick wall of the restaurant.

Ed was in shock. He couldn't do anything but watch. _Help her, you idiot! _

Suddenly, the woman turned her gaze from the ground to Edward. He couldn't see her face properly through her matted hair, but he could see her hazel eyes flash as their eyes met.

"Get back inside! Quickly!"

With unsteady legs the woman pushed herself forward and turned to face the darkness from where she emerged.

"Didn't you hear me?" she yelled back to Ed. "I told you to go inside."

At that moment, two large men with handguns came out of the shadows. They were both wearing dark green uniforms.

"You little bitch." Said the largest one. "Thought you could get away? Ha ha ha… you're going to regret that." He had a twisted smile on his face. His accomplice just stood there angrily glaring at the woman. He had a large gash on his left cheek.

"Hey!" The two men turned their attention to Edward, to whom, until that moment, they hadn't even noticed. "That's no way to speak to a lady! And shame on you for attacking her…"

"What the…"

"I _told you_ to get out of here! I-"

"You what? Have it under control? Sure, sure…" Ed whispered to her as he stepped in front of her.

"Who do you think you are!" said the man with the cut on his face.

"Don't waste your breath, Ken! We'll kill them both." The larger man put his gun away and took out a sharp dagger. "From the looks of it, the girl is pretty much done for. We just need to wait until she drains all to blood from her body. She's already standing in most of it right now!"

_Huh? _Ed hazarded a glance backwards. He only then noticed the man was right. The woman was standing in a pile of blood!

The two men laughed maniacally.

"And this other kid – he shouldn't take more than two minutes. He's small…"

"WWWHHHATTT!" That was all Ed needed to hear to set him off. "YOU MEAN I'M SO SMALL THAT I'M NOT EVEN WORTH YOUR TIME TO LOOK AT? YOU MEAN YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST USE YOUR PINKY TO KILL ME?" He was fanatically waving his arms about.

"I… ugh…" The two men looked confused.

Suddenly, without warning, the fight began.

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A blinding pain shot through her body. Even though her eyes were closed, she could feel herself falling backwards. All of the remaining air in her lungs was forced out of her as she slammed into the cold stone ground.

_Breathe… breathe! _She couldn't think properly. Her eyes shot open, but under the dim light and the blinding pain she couldn't see very much. She attempted in vain to stand up – the pain in her side was so immense that it nearly caused her to scream out.

_Don't let him know you're vulnerable. _

She wouldn't let herself cry out. Somehow she managed to get onto all fours. She could see stars before her eyes. Although her vision was very blurry, she could see a figure standing not 5 feet away from her.

_Why isn't he attacking! He should have finished me by now… unless…_

From the darkness, the footsteps were getting closer. She could hear loud whispering, as well, between her gasps.

_Voices… they're nearly here. _

She stood up, but her legs were too unstable. _I can't… no more… no more… NO MORE! _

With her last surge of energy, she pushed herself off the wall she was leaning on and she yelled to the man.

_There's no point getting some innocent man killed. _

All she could do was wait. She was fairly certain she was going to die at the hands of her assailants. To her surprise, her life wasn't flashing before her eyes.

_Why isn't he leaving? _"I _told you_ to get out of here! I-"

The man whispered back to her as he stepped in between her and the men.

"WWWHHHATTT! YOU MEAN I'M SO SMALL THAT I'M NOT EVEN WORTH YOUR TIME TO LOOK AT? YOU MEAN YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST USE YOUR PINKY TO KILL ME?"

_Lub dub… lub dub… _

Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears… The rest was a blur.

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"Brother!"

Edward suddenly snapped out of his white-hot rage, ran forward, and punched the man named Ken in the gut. He grabbed the man's right hand and crushed a few of his fingers as he broke the blade with his auto mail arm. Ken cried out in pain and fell to his knees, grasping his right wrist with his left hand. He looked up at Ed and his eyes flashed with intense fury.

"You little…" he growled between clenched teeth. Edward didn't let him finish the sentence. He ran around to the back of the kneeling man and struck him hard behind the head. Immediately, Ken fell forward on his face.

Ed cautiously stood over the fallen man.

_You bastard. Attacking an innocent girl… _

When Ed was certain the man wasn't getting up, he looked over at Al, who was now kicking the other man in the face. Compared to Al, the man was much, much larger. However, Al was more than able to handle a thug such as him. With one more kick, Al managed to knock his opponent out cold. He fell backwards into the wall and slid down until he slumped into an unconscious pile on the ground.

The two brothers gave a quick grin to each other.

Ed turned his gaze towards the woman and frowned. She appeared to be breathing shallower than before. Suddenly her eyes rolled up and she fell forward. Al and Ed both ran to catch her, but they couldn't make it in time.

Her body crumpled into a pile on the ground.

"Is she…" Al was afraid to finish his sentence.

Ed gently turned her over and rested her head on his jacket. He put his cheek near her face to check for breathing.

"No. But we need a doctor."

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Soo… how was it? This one took much longer, but I knew it would. I wanted to lay it out properly. I also have a fairly good idea of how the next few chapters are going to play out. Please R/R! Thanks all!


	6. Haze

**Disclaimer: **I do not own FMA or its characters, nor do I own or claim to own the FMA movie. I am just a fan. My ideas are original. If I use another show's ideas or themes, I will list them at the bottom of the chapter. However, I do not intentionally base my work on the work of others.

**Author's note:** Just a few facts to get you into the story. First, this story takes place three years after the movie, so five years after the anime series. Therefore, the year is 1925, and Ed is 20, and Al is 19.

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**Chapter 6: Haze**

Red.

When she gained consciousness, the first colour she saw was red. It was from the bright light shining on her eyelids.

Her head was pounding.

_Oh damn – where am I… am I…_

She couldn't feel anything but her pounding head.

… _dead? _

She opened her eyes slowly, but she had to quickly close them again. There was a blazing light hanging above and it made her eyes water a little. She wanted to wipe the tears away, but her arms were too weak to move.

_Damn it! Everything went wrong. It was all my fault. _

She didn't even know where she was. She didn't even know if she was all right. All she could think about was the plan… the plan that went wrong.

_Is he safe? _

She wanted to rest. It had been a long time since she had truly _rested_.

She felt drained. She was so exhausted…

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I must apologize for this ridiculously short chapter. Hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Please R/R – thanks for those who have stuck with this story so far. There's much more coming!


	7. Caught Up

**Disclaimer: **I do not own FMA or its characters, nor do I own or claim to own the FMA movie. I am just a fan. My ideas are original. If I use another show's ideas or themes, I will list them at the bottom of the chapter. However, I do not intentionally base my work on the work of others.

**Author's note:** Just a few facts to get you into the story. First, this story takes place three years after the movie, so five years after the anime series. Therefore, the year is 1925, and Ed is 20, and Al is 19.

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**Chapter 7: Caught Up **

Alphonse was sitting on the edge of his chair. He was replaying the events of the past 36 hours in his mind.

It was now a day and a half after he and his brother had helped that girl in the alley.

He couldn't get the sounds of her scream out of his mind.

And the blood… so much blood.

_How did she survive? _

Edward had carried the girl into the restaurant through the front doors. At that time, she was still unconscious.

No one could help. They were just in shock. Eventually, after Al was able to calm down one of the waiters, he pointed them in the direction of the hospital.

Edward probably would have gotten better results if he hadn't burst through the doors with an unconscious, blood girl in his arms. But Alphonse understood. Neither of them wanted to see another person die. They had seen enough death and suffering. They had seen more than most would see in a lifetime.

It felt wrong, what they ended up doing. But maybe Ed was right… he was nearly always right.

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_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

The sound of the clock was driving Ed insane. He was curled up in a chair in the corner of the room. He had covered himself with a blanket so he could sleep. The best he could do, though, was slip in and out of consciousness for a few minutes at a time.

Ed was now staring at the girl lying unconscious on his bed. His jaw was tense and he was unknowingly frowning.

_Who are you? _

He tried to listen for signs of stirring.

So far there was nothing. She had only screamed that once, while the doctor was cutting her wound open again so he could sew it shut properly.

"Someone had tried to sew her wound closed. It wasn't done well, but it perhaps saved her from bleeding out too fast" the doctor had explained earlier.

"We'll need blood. But that won't guarantee her survival. She's already sustained a lot of injury and who knows how long she'd been…"

Ed stopped listening. He was done listening. _What do you mean won't guarantee her survival? _He knew he was being childish. He knew even alchemy wouldn't help.

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

_Did I do the right thing? _

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

_Just be alright. _

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Silence.

She couldn't hear anything. For a few glorious moments, she had forgotten the events that had taken place a short while ago.

Suddenly, her memories came rushing back to her as she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her side.

Her eyes fluttered open. Everything around her was blurry. Her eyelids felt heavy. As if they had never been opened before. Her pupils widened in order to let more light in. After her eyes finally accommodated, the images in front of her became sharper.

It was light outside. She could see rays of sunlight peaking through the cracks between the heavy curtain panels.

She was on a bed. She was covered. She couldn't explain why, but she felt safe.

She slowly moved the blankets a little so she could look at her side. She had been wrapped heavily in bandages. She gingerly massaged around her wound in hopes of relieving some of the pain.

Suddenly, she became aware that she wasn't alone in the room.

In the corner of the room, there was a candle nearing its end. It was struggling to keep burning. In its warm glow, she saw him.

His face was gentle. He was sleeping peacefully, curled up in an armchair, with his head propped up with his left arm.

_That man… _

Scenes from the previous night began flashing through her mind.

She remembered falling hard to the ground. She remembered getting up again to fight, but instead of killing her, that man _helped _her.

_You stupid man. What have you gotten yourself involved in?_


	8. Awake

**Disclaimer: **I do not own FMA or its characters, nor do I own or claim to own the FMA movie. I am just a fan. My ideas are original. If I use another show's ideas or themes, I will list them at the bottom of the chapter. However, I do not intentionally base my work on the work of others.

**Author's note:** Just a few facts to get you into the story. First, this story takes place three years after the movie, so five years after the anime series. Therefore, the year is 1925, and Ed is 20, and Al is 19.

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**Chapter 8: Awake **

Edward woke up. He was in a deep sleep. He had not slept that deeply in a long time.

Yet still, something had woken him up. He got this sudden feeling that there were eyes watching him.

Sure enough, he was right. Across the room was a pair of almond-shaped hazel eyes. They were examining him.

Ed's eyes widened in shock. He had hoped with all of his might that the girl would wake up. To see her actually awake, though, was something else.

He quickly pushed the blankets aside and walked over to the bed. He was frowning slightly.

"H-how are you feeling?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to know. For all he knew, she could be in unbearable pain.

"F-f…" the girl cleared her throat, but it was still too dry to speak. She closed her eyes and gulped, hoping to swallow enough saliva to moisten her vocal cords. She attempted again, this time with a little more success. "Felt better."

She gave Ed a mischievous smile. He couldn't help but smile back. He felt so relieved.

"W-who are you? Where am I…?" She had so many questions, but her head began spinning again.

_I have to get out of here _she thought.

"My name is Edward. Edward Elrich. We're in an inn. Do you remember what…"

The girl wasn't listening anymore. Her vision was narrowing and the world was getting dimmer. _I can't stay here. _

"Can you tell me your name?" Edward began frowning again. The girl wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead, her eyes were glassy and wildly searching to room.

Edward put his left hand on the girl's forehead. _She's sweating. She must be getting a fever… damn it! _

"Please, just stay calm. What's you name?"

Without warning, the girl started to push the covers aside.

_Damn it! She's trying to leave! _

Edward's mind was racing wildly_. What do I do? Alphonse! No, if I call him in here she might get more frantic… he's probably sleeping, anyway. _

"_Please _don't do this! You're not well. You'll rip your wound open… you're safe here. Please!"

_He's right _she thought. _I am safe here. I _feel _safe here. _But that still didn't change her mind.

Edward wanted to pin her down, but he didn't want to startle her, either. _What else can I do, though? _He put light pressure on her shoulder with his right hand. It didn't do much, though.

The girl, with all of her strength, swung her legs onto the floor. That alone nearly took the wind out of her. She wanted to cry out in pain, but she didn't want to appear weak. _If can't be here anymore. You don't understand. _

She moved Ed's hand off her shoulder and attempted to stand. She rose too quickly, though. The blood rushed from her head and she collapsed forward.

Edward caught her around the waist. He was careful not to touch her injured side. He slowly helped her sit down and then put her back into bed.

_You're a stubborn one _he thought. _That's probably why you survived this. _

She was too weak. Too tired. She wanted desperately to leave, but she regained her senses. Closing her eyes, she began to deliberate. _I'll leave when I can stand. When I won't be noticed. _

Suddenly, she felt cool. She opened her eyes and saw Edward standing over her. He was concentrating too hard on cooling her head off with a damp towel to notice that the girl looking at him.

_Yes, I am safe here. He feels safe. _She relaxed a little more.

A wave of fatigue swept over her again. Suddenly, her eyelids began drooping again. She let herself give into the drowsiness.

"Keira." She whispered.

"Hm?" said Ed.

"My name," she whispered. "It's Keira." With that, she fell back to sleep.

_Nice to meet you, Keira. _

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Alphonse was lying on the makeshift bed he and his brother had made in the kitchen. It consisted of a mattress and some blankets.

He couldn't sleep, though. He was worried about the girl. And his brother. They had agreed that they would take turns watching over her, but Edward hadn't left his chair. He was stubborn that way.

It seemed that all Edward wanted to do was protect his brother. And all Alphonse wanted to do was help his brother.

He heard muffled noises coming from the next room. They were too low to be voices… he couldn't make out any words.

_Wait _thought Al. He sat up and listened harder. _They are voices! _He got up as quickly as he could and put his ear to the door just to make sure.

_What am I doing? Just open the door! _

He slowly creaked the door open. He found his brother standing over the girl. He was holding a cold compress on her forehead.

"Brother? Is everything alright?"

He noticed the girl's covers had been tossed to the ground. _What happened? _

"She woke up, but she became disoriented. I think she has a fever." Edward put the compress back in the water, wrung it out, and placed it back on the girl's forehead. He then turned to Alphonse. "Do you think you can watch her for a while? I need to get some sleep."

Alphonse was glad that his brother was letting him help. He couldn't see much in the dim room, but he could tell from Ed's voice that he was drained. _He's so stubborn. _

"Of course, brother," replied Alphonse. He took a chair from the kitchen table and placed it near the foot of the girl's bed.

"She'll need the compress changed every now and again. Just wake me if you need anything. Thanks." Edward returned to his chair in the far corner of the room. He wanted to include Alphonse. He felt bad about ignoring him for the past few hours. He just didn't want to trouble him. It was his fault that he and Al got involved with this girl.

After blowing out the flickering candle on the table next to him, Ed curled up and let himself fall back to sleep.

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It was not until the sun began to fall once again did the girl begin to stir again. Al cautiously stood up and moved closer to her side.

_Her fever has gone down _he thought after placing the back of his hand on her forehead. _Good. _

She woke up. This time her head felt clear. When she opened her eyes, the world wasn't blurry anymore. She turned her head to the left and saw him again. _Edward _she thought. There he was again, sleeping soundly on his chair. _So your name is Edward. _

There was another body in the room. She could feel someone standing over her.

Before she even had time to turn her head to see who it was, the figure spoke.

"He's been there this whole time." The voice sounded kind, and young. She was a little surprised when she met his gaze.

_He looks just like…_

"My brother was very worried about you." Alphonse smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry," he began when he noticed the girl's slightly furrowed brow. "My name is Alphonse."

"You look like brothers" the girl replied. "I'm Keira."

"Nice to meet you, Keira."

"So… how long have I…" she began to trail off. Did she really want to know? And how did she end up here, anyways? Where 'here' was she had no idea. The curtains were still pulled shut. All she could see were beams of orange light peeking between the panels. She didn't know if the sun was coming up or going down.

"… about 2 days now," replied Al. He studied her face for a reaction, but he didn't get one.

_I need to sit up. _She had heard Alphonse's reply, but the full impact of it had yet to hit her. She wanted to get out of bed and stretch her legs.

"Umm…" she began to sit up, and then realized that her clothes were sitting folded on the ground near the door. She looked down at herself and only then realized that she was wearing a pair of shorts and a man's oversized striped dress shirt.

"Sorry… the doctors had to…"

"No problem." She quickly moved her hand to her chest. _Is it still… _yes, it was still there. She felt a little better. "Could you tell me where the washroom is? It has been two days, after all." She gave Al a quick smile.

Al was surprised at himself. Why hadn't he even thought of that before? "Sorry! It's right through here…" He led the girl out of the room and through the kitchen into the bathroom.

"Thanks." Keira closed the door quietly behind her and then rested her head against it and closed her eyes. Every ounce of her being wanted her to cry.

A flash of two nights ago entered her mind. She was running. The buildings beside her were too blurry to see. Then she saw a light… with a man standing under it. He had… swords? No, he didn't. She was wrong. _He saved me. _

_What am I doing here? How did I get here? _She turned around and faced herself in the mirror.

_God. I look… terrible. _Her shoulder-length wavy black hair was matted at the back from lying down so long. Her dark hazel eyes were tired. Her skin, although darker, still looked pallid somehow. _Of course I look terrible. _She lifted up the shirt she was wearing to inspect the wound. It was heavily bandaged. There was even a small clear plastic tube coming out of the bandages for drainage.

Suddenly Keira felt the urge to vomit. She bent over the sink, but nothing came. She steadied herself by placing her hands on the pedestal sink and closed her eyes… and waited.

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When Al entered the room again, he left the door slightly opened so Keira could come back inside.

He walked over to the window and threw open the curtains. Although the sun was nearly down, it let more light into the room. Then he walked over to the table next to where Ed was sleeping and switched it on.

"You can stop pretending to sleep now, brother," Alphonse whispered.

Without opening his eyes, Ed made a groaning noise. "What do you mean?"

"I could tell by your breathing. It slowed down. You wanted to hear us talking."

Ed opened his eyes and sat up. "Alright," he said with a sigh. "What time is it, anyways?"

"Umm…" Al turned his head instinctively towards where the clock was: on the shelf above the chair. However, it wasn't there anymore. "The clock is…"

"Oh yeah…" Al stood up, removed the chair cushion, and recovered the clock. "The ticking was driving me insane. It's 6:30." He placed the clock back on the shelf.

Ed's mind turned back to Keira. They needed to find out about her. But he didn't know where to begin. He didn't want to push her, either. And what do they tell her? _She'll probably have more questions for us. _

"Brother? What are you thinking about?" Alphonse's voice snapped Ed out of his daze.

"Just things…" Edward sighed. He hated not being more open with Alphonse. He found that he got this way after crossing the gate. He just wanted to protect him. Ever since he saw Al in his body again, he vowed that he would never let anything happen to him again. He knew that chasing after a maniac's bomb wasn't the safest prospect, but for now they were only searching through books.

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Keira's wave of sickness passed eventually. It seemed like she was standing there for hours. She turned the tap on and scrubbed her hands clean. Then she splashed some water on her face. The cool water revitalized her a little bit. It at least brought back some of the colour to her face.

She closed the tap and dried her hands on face on the small towel on the railing. After another quick glance at her face in the mirror, she turned and opened the door.

Before she entered the kitchen again, she clutched the pendant that was hanging around her neck.

_When am I going to see you again? _

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Ok, wow. That took a little longer than expected. I had troubles with this one. I didn't want to rush into Keira's backstory, though. Some of you have requested I take my time, so that is what I'll do! Haha!

Enjoy! (And please R/R)


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